This morning, the Pirates activated RHP Juan Cruz and sent RHP Jared Hughes to Indianapolis.
Despite some recent regression, Hughes has done a solid job in the bullpen this season. Prior to his outing last night, he had a 9.00 ERA in his past seven games. He was sharp last night though, and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings. Overall, Hughes has a 2.70 ERA in 56.2 innings (47 appearances). He has options remaining, which could justify this move from the team’s perspective.
Cruz started the season on a roll, and didn’t allow a run until May 9th. He left the team for a few days at the end of May, and hasn’t been the same since then. In 16 games (from June 3rd to July 17th), Cruz had a 4.76 ERA in 11.1 innings.
Not a fan of this move; this doesn’t really bolster the ‘pen. Cruz wasn’t sharp in the few weeks before his injury, while Hughes has done well, other than a couple of his recent outings. There isn’t much room in the bullpen, but the Pirates can stock up on relievers when the roster expands in September. Hopefully Hughes can get some rest at Indy and come back strong.
From Forbes to Federal 